Schoolyard rivalries
by slythadri
Summary: AU, EWE. Independent one-shots in a shared universe. All characters are alive including Harry's parents. No war. Characters only deal with schoolyard rivalries, romance, and family. Dramione, Ronsy, other pairings. Rated M for language and in case of smuttiness.
1. Chapter 1

AN: EWE AU. All characters are alive including Harry's parents. No war. Characters only deal with schoolyard rivalries although Harry did compete in the Triwizard tournament and killed a basilisk because is convenient for my story (wink emoji). Meant for fluffiness and occasional smuttiness just for fun. Yes, I know, little Teddy is a bit early in the story but since this is an AU timelines will be off so characters can enter the story when needed.

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"Draco, a word," said Lucius

Draco sigh. He was dressed and ready to go to Diagon Alley to get his Hogwarts' books for his sixth year. He was hoping it would be a good year. And he was getting tired of Lucius' machinations for him.

First-year he had suggested he made friends with the son of James Potter, just because that was a seat of the Wizengamot that Lucius didn't have in his pocket, and that vote was always on wherever side the Black seat was, as it was held by Mr. Potter's best friend, Sirius Black, who did not give a rat's ass that Lucius was married to his cousin Narcissa. So the first day on the Hogwarts Express Draco had tried to emulate his father by telling Harry Potter he should sit with him and leave behind that raggy Weasley boy. That didn't go well at all, and Draco was now quite aware of how stupid that move had been.

Then because of his father's alliances, he had found himself stuck for years with Crabbe and Goyle. They were not even that bad on their own, they were just easily influenced, but their fathers were assholes so the two bulky kids tried to be schoolyard bullies, usually making fools of themselves.

The last straw had been last year, when Lucius insisted that Draco, along with Crabbe and Goyle should join a student organization led by a horrible woman called Dolores Umbridge, who had been named "high inquisitor" of Hogwarts by Cornelius Fudge, who was sure the school governors were planning to convince Dumbledore to leave the school and run for minister of magic, so he wanted a spy on campus. Turned out the woman was a psychopath that hated children and used torture as a discipline method. So when Draco found out that Harry Potter and his friends were trying to gather evidence against her he realized they didn't have the best possible tool: a Pensieve. He sent Lucius a vial of memories knowing that his owls would not be intercepted by Umbridge as the ones from the Gryffindors were. The next time the governors met James Potter had presented a pile of written testimonies that his son had collected and snuck out of the castle through a secret passage without being caught by Umbridge. Lucius, who had not yet decided how to play this card had pompously requested one of his elves to bring his Pensieve and had poured the memories that Draco had sent him. Still, he had to share the glory, so one Monday morning Lucius Malfoy and James Potter had walked into the Great Hall with an escort of Aurors and arrested Dolores Umbridge to the cheers of all children.

Draco had hoped Lucius had learned his lesson and let his son finish his last two years at Hogwarts in peace. Apparently, that was not to be. He closed his eyes and answered his father's call

'Yes, father?" Draco sighed the sentence.

"You know how important is to solidify your position in Magical society. And after the...situation with Umbridge last year…"

"You mean after you ordered me to work for a psychopath that enjoyed torturing children?"

Lucius kept his face blank

"Missteps must be corrected promptly to avoid political downfall. The Wizengamot has decided that a number of seats will be offered to witches and wizards of Muggleborn origin to ensure fair representation for all, starting with your generation. Therefore, the best step for you is to scout and befriend those muggleborns that you see have political aspirations. Secure your allies for the future that is getting closer."

Draco felt a wave of rage raising on him. How dare Lucius still ask him to make alliances, after all the humiliations he's been through? And then it hit him. _Befriend the muggleborns that may have a political future. The smart ones. The activist ones. The smart, activist one. _Draco schooled his face before the wide grin that pulled at his lips would escape.

"Of course father. I'm sure I can spot who is going to be the first muggleborn minister of magic."

Lucius smirked

"Then that's your target. Offer that person whatever suits them. Favors, presents, weekend trips. It should be pretty easy to impress muggleborns, as the biggest vaults of Gringotts are in the hands of pureblood families."

"_Or I could just be polite."_ thought Draco. But then again, if Lucius wanted him to splurge to take care of a muggleborn he would happily oblige.

"Of course, father. I will start today, I'm sure everyone will be in Diagon Alley. I'm sure I can select a target right there."

The Malfoys walked out of the floo at the Leakey Cauldron and made their way to the stores. Draco's heart was racing in his chest but he kept his face composed. He had a charade planned. He will pretend to be giving Lucius the chance to take his pick of the litter.

"That is Dean Thomas, said Draco, inclining his head towards a dark-skinned boy. Adequate student, decent dueler. Not much more is interesting about him."

A few steps later he pointed to a pair of younger kids.

"The Creevey brothers. The oldest one will for sure be a journalist, always keeping track and photographing all school events. I don't see hem having much political aspiration. The younger one is a bit of a wallflower but maybe he is too young to judge."

They walked by a pompous looking boy in a Hufflepuff quidditch jersey.

"Justin Finch-Fletchley. Definitely unimpressive, even flaky in his friendships. Probably has political aspirations but will have trouble rallying people to his side. Not worthy of time spent cultivating that alliance."

Lucius was unimpressed. As he thought, muggleborns were a dull lot. Then, after getting his new robes at Madam Malkin's Draco held his parents discreetly to point at someone else. His gaze landed on a beautiful witch dressed in a muggle summer dress that accentuated her body very nicely.

"Hermione Granger. Definitely has political aspirations. She's a prefect and will surely be Headgirl next year. So far she has led at least two student organizations, likes to lobby for the wellbeing of magical creatures, her grades are outstanding. Definitely minister material.

Lucius raised an eyebrow, satisfied. Draco was very well informed, a true Malfoy kingmaker. The little muggleborn witch will probably make it far in the ministry in the next few years and Draco had to make sure he was the pureblood political ally she will want working with her.

"Perhaps you should say hello, Draco. A casual encounter will keep her unaware of your intentions."

Draco nodded, face serious but grinning inside. This had been like stealing candy from a baby.

Narcissa looked at Lucius, incredulous. Her husband was a priced idiot. The so-called target Draco had chosen may be the most brilliant student in school, but she was also a stunningly pretty young witch. Thanks to her husband's idiocy they were gonna end up raising half-blood grandchildren. She was about to open her mouth to give Lucius a piece of her mind when her breath caught in her throat. The girl that Draco was walking towards had just received in her arms a baby that an older woman was carrying. The woman was her sister, Andromeda. The baby must be Andromeda's grandson.

"Are congratulations in order?" asked Draco with a malicious grin

Hermione turned to look at him, confused for a second but then laughed wholeheartedly.

"No, this one is just a loan," she said, rubbing noses with the baby, who giggled happily. "Actually, I think this is…" she turned to look at Andromeda, who smiled and nodded, then she turned back to the blonde "Teddy, this is your cousin Draco."

The baby turned to face the newfound cousin and gave him a huge toothless grin, then transformed his hair and eyes to match the Malfoy heir. Draco was speechless. For one, he knew his mother had two sisters but they never talked about them. One was crazy and serving life in Azkaban for killing muggles. The other one had been disowned for marrying a muggleborn. And two, while he was doing the family math in his head, he realized that Hermione Granger was carrying a baby that looked just like him. His heart pounded in his chest, then he remembered that his parents were watching and turned towards them. He saw Narcissa take a step back. He looked at the baby's grandmother.

"It's alright darling," the witch said, resting a hand on his arm. "No need to rush. Just tell your mother that I will be happy to meet her for tea if she feels like it." Then she took the baby and said to the two students "have a good year at Hogwarts. You know Ted and I got together in our sixth year," then she winked and walked away.

Hermione turned back to Draco, grinning

"Well, I guess you found yourself new robes and a new cousin. Not bad for a day of shopping, eh?"

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head "Yeah, that was interesting," then he looked at his parents. Lucius was walking Narcissa towards a cafe to sit, she was obviously rattled, but he gestured towards his son to stay with the witch. Securing the alliance was paramount and Draco needed to make a good impression.

At that moment two muggle people joined the teenagers. A woman that looked like an older version of Hermione said

"Hi, sweetheart. Daddy got you the quills you wanted. Are you going to introduce us to your friend?" she said, smiling widely at the handsome blonde boy.

"Mrs. Granger, I presume?" he said, offering his hand, then taking the woman's one and bringing it to his lips. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Draco Malfoy."

The older woman laughed sweetly

"So old fashion. It's nice to meet you too, Draco."

The boy turned to the man next to her and offered his hand. The muggle man looked down his nose and did not reach for it.

"Malfoy. You are the one that called my little girl a dirty-blood."

Draco went pink on the cheeks while Hermione chided "Daddy!" but before his wife could reprieve him too the teenage boy acknowledged

"Yes sir, that was me, second year. Then third year she broke my nose. I hope that we can call the whole situation even and start over again."

Hermione and her mother smiled and Mr. Granger puffed his chest, proud. He knew his daughter was an outstanding magical dueler, even though he had not had the pleasure of watching her, but it was also a relief to know that she could pack a punch. Draco chatted politely a little more and then excused himself to go find his parents. After he said goodbye Mrs. Granger leaned into her daughter's ear

"You would make really pretty babies with that one."

"Mom!"


	2. Chapter 2

Pansy Parkinson was feeling buzzed, even though she only had a couple of sips of the firewhiskey that Blaise Zabini had passed around in the common room, but she was not used to drinking. Now, standing alone in the astronomy tower, she was taking inventory of her life, or at least as much of an inventory as a normal sixteen-year-old girl could think off. Things were out of order. She was the Slytherin princess. The undisputed Ice Queen of the dungeons. She should be with the Slytherin prince. Right? Have a handsome guy by her side, the perfect accessory to complement her always flawless appearance. Why then, was she walking the corridors alone or with only a posy of girlfriends?

It was obvious that Draco Malfoy was the undisputed Slytherin Prince. So how come he was not her most envied jewel? To be honest, she really didn't like him that much, not in that way at least. They grew up together, so she was used to having him around but also they had a sort of sibling relationship: they could count on each other but they spent a lot of time barking at each other. If they got together as a couple it would be just so they could claim the title of King and Queen of the school, a vision of perfection on the outside but probably a lot of conflicts and very little romance on the inside. Just as her parents' marriage. She really didn't want that life. No matter what her mother said, the destiny that she was supposed to fulfill sucked. A loveless marriage as long as it was socially ideal. A husband that would probably go around fucking everything that walked or worst, find someone else to love and set up a second family while she and her children would have to pretend to know nothing. That sounded like a perfectly crappy life. She sighed and looked at her watch. Shit. It was past curfew. She better run before the prefect on duty...

"Oi! It's past curfew!" said the deep voice, steps running towards her. Shit. it was Ronald Weasley. He would take a hundred points from Slytherin and maybe get her ass in detention. Think, Pansy, think. An idea crossed her buzzed mind. There was a long rivalry between the Malfoys and the Weasleys. If she wanted to make Draco fume, this was her chance.

"What's the matter, Weasley? Came for another peek?"

"What? What are you talking about, Parkinson?" said the redhead, looking confused. Pansy felt the firewhisky making her daring.

"You looked down my shirt this morning."

"W-w-what?" Ronald stuttered, red ears shining in the moonlight.

"Today, in potions. You looked down my shirt. And you liked what you saw."

Earlier that day during potions Pansy had tried one last time to get Draco to see her as a sexy woman. With the excuse of the classroom getting too hot with all the cauldrons she had undone her tie completely and released her shirt buttons until her black lace bra was peeking out. She then leaned slightly forward so the tall blonde next to her would get a nice view of her rack. When she turned her gaze to the side though, she felt her world crumble. Draco was caught in a discussion about the potion with Granger, who was on the table in front of them, and all kinds of nerdy words were being exchanged between them as if this boring subject was the most interesting conversation in the world. And then, horror of horrors, Draco had made some sort of cerebral joke and Granger had laughed. She had laughed as if he was the funniest man alive, so Draco got on a roll and kept throwing around more pseudo-intellectual quips, making the curly witch spill tears of laughter. Pansy had never felt more invisible, so she turned her eyes to the front, mortified, and was about to discreetly close her buttons when she felt a pair of blue eyes staring right into her boobs. Weasley, who was Granger's partner, had been trying to call the Gryffindor princess' attention, and when she would not turn back to their cauldron he lost his patience and was gonna ask whoever was behind them what the next step was when he caught sight of it: the most perfect set of tits he had ever seen in his life. They were round, plump and decorated with a thin layer of black lace. Ronald had lost all ability to think, let alone talk. Pansy felt her ego lift itself off the ground, dust off and stand proudly. She straightened her shoulders and smirked when Ron's breath caught at the sight of her rack standing up even more. She allowed him a whole minute of staring time before asking in her cool Ice Queen voice

"Can I help you, Weasley?"

Ron had startled, stumbled and stuttered. And she had never felt more alive. And now standing in front of him in the Astronomy tower she realized this was her get out of jail free card. She was still wearing her uniform with the tie unlaced hanging on her neck and two of her shirt buttons were undone. One more button and she could repeat the scene from the morning. She took a step forward, hand releasing the button.

"I said, you liked what you saw this morning. Didn't you?"

He tried to collect himself, not knowing how to handle this moment.

"Out of bounds... curfew, Parkinson, he mumbled, eyes glued to her chest. Crap. Oh hell no. she was not gonna get detention. Here goes nothing. She undid the remaining buttons. Ron's eyes open like saucers and he had to hold himself onto the guardrail to not faint. She moved slowly toward him, a snake cornering her prey

"Weasley, anyone up there?" the voice of Ernie McMillan startled them and Pansy closed her shirt, panic in her eyes. Ron brought his finger to his mouth to signal silence. She quickly did her buttons, big scared eyes on his

"No one, just the wind. I'm coming down." then he slid his hand on the back of Pansy's hair and spoke on her ear "I'll take him down the north corridor. Run to your dorm," he said, letting his lips rub on her ear.

She gave him a two-minute head start and took the south stairs to the dungeons. When she got to her dorm her roommates were already asleep. She took off her clothes, closed her four-poster bed curtains and silenced them, then got under the covers in her undergarments. She lied propped on her pillows, breathing rapidly, then look down at her breasts. She ran her fingernails slowly over the soft skin over the edge of the bra, feeling her nipples pebble. She imagined that her hands were Ron's and tentatively touched the hardened peaks, sending a blaze of pleasure running through her body and sparking up her core. She used the fingers of one hand on one nipple while the other hand played over the lace that covered her slit, and it took only minutes of imagining it was Ron's fingers to make her come.

The next day Pansy woke up and a wave of mortification washed over her. She had flashed Weasley. She tried to find some comfort in the fact that she had been wearing a bra, but that didn't make much of a difference. She performed her morning routine as normal as possible, trying to keep up with whatever Daphne, Trac ey and Millicent were talking about, taking deep breaths every time her mouth threatened to scream "I SHOWED MY TITS TO RONALD WEASLEY AND HE LOVED IT!'

She thought about sitting with her back to the Gryffindor table but she knew she would be turning her head around every two minutes to see if he was looking at her, so she bravely sat facing the red table. When she heard the sixth-year Gryffindors walk in she tried to keep a blank face. Granger was walking in front and goody-two-shoes that she was she waved to Draco, who gave her a theatrical head bow with his hand to his heart, making the curly witch giggle. Behind her, Potter was talking to Thomas, and finally, there was Weasley. He was talking to Finnegan, but when he entered the room he quickly scanned the Slytherin table and when he saw Pansy he blushed slightly and gave her a quick raise of his hand before getting interrupted by the nonstop quidditch chattering of the Irish baboon. Pansy felt her heart skip a beat.

That evening Pansy had prefect rounds. She volunteered to check the astronomy tower, just so she could stand there for a few minutes, letting the cool breeze give her goosebumps, reliving the sensations of last night. What she was not expecting was to find Ronald Weasley standing there, a big smile on his face. Her breath hitched and she felt embarrassed and out of control as if he had read her mind and knew what she had been looking for. She even felt a ping of anger for the way he had just drop on her, so she automatically said

"Detention, Weasley."

"What?" said the redhead, his smile disappearing, face falling in obvious disappointment. When she saw a flash of anger crossing his eyes she quickly added

"Unless you do as you are told."

His eyes opened wide, confused but mumbled

"Ok?"

She walked toward him, she would have two or three minutes tops before her rounds partner, Anthony Goldstein, came around this side of the castle.

"Show me your hands, Weasley." When Ron slowly lifted his hands to his chest height she asked "I want you to make your fingers featherlight," and she lifted her own hands to touch fingertips. He gasped and she smiled, then took his wrists and guided his hands until his fingertips brushed the fabric of her shirt over her breasts. She gasped softly and said "just like that. Feathearlike."

He leaned in, his lips hovering over hers, almost touching when

"Parkinson? Caught anyone there?"

She jumped back and answered quickly

"No one, I'm coming down," then she walked backward mouthing "_I'll go south, you go north."_

Ron gave her a bright smile and waved, looking like a kid who got a second Christmas. She had to compose her face before joining her partner, excitement bubbling inside of her.

In the morning though she felt anxious. She had gone too far with this. Now Weasley probably thought she was a slutty girl. She sigh. No more astronomy tower rendezvous if she wanted him to take her seriously.

Wait, did she wanted him to take her seriously? Yes, she did. It may have started as a way to get back at Draco but now the blonde was the last thing on her mind. Weasley, on the other side, cleaned up quite nicely. He had a couple of years of bad hair but now it had grown enough for him to hold it half up with shaved sides, so he was looking damn fine. And he had joined the quidditch team, turned out he was an outstanding goalkeeper. She finished putting herself together and ran to the Great Hall. Ron was not around but as soon as she sat a tiny owl dropped a small package in front of her. She smiled. It was not jewelry, not a pure gold quill, not anything expensive. It was a chocolate frog, with a note

_You look beautiful today_

She looked up and saw him enter the hall with Potter, both of them in quidditch uniforms. He scanned the room for her and give her a smile and a wink. Potter looked between the two of them, then leaned to ask something. Ron gave a smile and a shrug and Potter gave him a congratulatory shove, then turned and offered Pansy a smile. Her heart skipped a beat. She waited until Ron seemed to have had enough food and stood slowly, making sure he would see her walk out. He jumped off his seat immediately and followed her.

"How would you know how I would look this morning?" she asked feigning innocence.

He shrugged

"You look beautiful every day."

She wished she could have schooled her features into a perfectly beautiful ice sculpture, but she probably resembled more a bright Christmas tree. Before she could feel embarrassed at her over the top reaction (for Slytherin standards) he rubbed the back of his neck and asked

"So, do I get a kiss? You know, for good luck?"

She pretended to consider it, then got up on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek for a few seconds. When she went back down to her feet he was breathing hard, so he grabbed her and dipped her for a movie kiss. She was aware of the cheers that exploded around them but she couldn't care less.


	3. Chapter 3

Narcissa sat at the terrace, gazing towards the beautiful gardens of her manor, lost in thought. It had been weeks since she saw Draco talking with her sister Andromeda in Diagon Alley and her world had crumbled around her. She had been a young teenager when Andromeda was cast out of the family, and it had hurt so much that she barely spoke or ate for days. Yet, back then she convinced herself that her parents and her older sister were right, and later she fell in love with Lucius, and that brought her enough comfort. However, the scene at Diagon Alley showed her something that she had not considered: her own son may choose to leave her and never look back if he found himself in love with a muggleborn and she stood by her old ways. Also, she noticed the way Andromeda looked at her son: with love. Draco had only his parents, no siblings; his childhood had been fairly lonely. Her eyes teared up remembering that as a child, before blood prejudice tore them apart she had two sisters and they would spend their summers with their cousins, Regulus and Sirius, playing around the big ancestral Black house. Then her parents had disowned Andromeda, Sirius had run away from home and both Regulus and Bellatrix had succumbed to the Black madness and ended up in Azkaban, where Regulus had died. All the elder Blacks were also dead now. Draco had no family besides her and Lucius. But he could have more. Andromeda seemed fond of meeting him, and she had a daughter and a grandson. Sirius had always been her favorite cousin, and she was sure if it wasn't for the old prejudices he too would embrace her son. Truthfully, the only thing holding her to those prejudices was her love for Lucius, but her husband's true interest was not blood purity, but power. He had held onto the pureblood ways because most pureblood families were wealthy and powerful, but that had changed dramatically in the past couple of decades and will definitely change even more by the time Draco reached adulthood.

Narcissa suddenly stood up, went to her dressing room, made sure her hair and makeup were perfect and walked into the floo. She walked out of the visitor's floo of a house she knew well but waited to be received. The reason she had been able to come in unannounced was her ancestral right to be in this house, even if she was not wanted here. She stood proudly until a handsome man with long hair and a mischievous smile came to greet the unexpected visitor.

"Well well well. Look what the kneazle dragged in. to what do I owe this honor, cousin?"

"Sirius. You look well."

The wizard barked out a burst of laughter and approached the witch, taking her hand and kissing it.

"And you, as always, look beautiful. You look especially stunning since you are not carrying that man-sized goblin you call a husband."

Narcissa lifted an eyebrow. If she wanted to get on Sirius' good graces she must accept he would always make remarks about her husband. For now, she would let it slide.

"Actually, I'm here to plot a little bit around Lucius. You see, he always tries to… guide Draco so he can learn to navigate the political world of magical Britain, as he would surely have to do as the heir of two noble families."

"You mean Lucius is always trying to make a puppet of your son, use him for his own political purposes."

Narcissa felt her blood boil. But the reason why that comment was so hurtful was that it was true. She squared her shoulders and held Sirius' gaze.

"Be that as it may, the fact remains that Draco is a Black. And I want him to have a family. If Lucius and I were to die, he would be completely alone, and that is not fair. Sirius," she grabbed his hand again, "we were happy children. We had each other. You, me, Andy, Bella, Reg. My son has no one. I let him grew up alone, thinking that he would be happy enough if he had friends. But Lucius forgot about the importance of actual friendships for a child and always surrounded him with children of allies. Those kids were alright but they weren't family. He didn't choose them. I know is late to do something about that now, but at least I can let him decide who he wants to have in his life, instead of ripping people away of him like Andy and you were taken from me. I don't want to do that to my son."

Sirius' eyes softened.

"What do you want me to do?"

Narcissa gave a small smile

"Lucius is and will always be a plotter. But his latest command to Draco was to befriend the most promising muggleborn classmates to secure future alliances. I think now that he opened that door I can push through and reconnect my son with his family since it would be hypocritical of Lucius to want him to mingle with muggleborns and not with…open-minded relatives. Sirius, I saw Draco talk briefly with Andromeda the other day, you should see how she looked at my boy," Narcissa's eyes sparkled.

"She looked at him like she loved him."

Narcissa nodded.

Sirius squeezed her hand and caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"You will always be my baby cousin, Cissy. If you want me in your and Draco's lives, I'll be happy to oblige. But beware, that means you will have to mingle with those you have called mudbloods and blood traitors and not flinch. Are you sure that is what you want?

"I want my son to be happy. That is what I want. When I saw him with Andy I realized if I don't give him enough leeway he may follow her example and yours and I would lose him. I would not survive it."

At that moment there was a knock on the door. That was unusual, as wizard kin always came in through floos or apparated. Sirius smirked.

"Well, cousin here is your first test. I'm actually expecting a muggle friend. I promised to escort her to Diagon Alley to get a birthday present for her daughter. You should say hello."

Narcissa stood rigid but nodded. This didn't come naturally to her but she knew Sirius would not make things too easy either. He went to open the door and she heard him greet someone

"Jane, dear. I'm ready to go, but come in for a minute. I want you to meet my cousin."

He walked back into the drawing room followed by a pretty muggle woman around their age who was dressed quite primly.

"Cissy, darling, this is Dr. Jane Granger. Her daughter is in the same year at Hogwarts as your boy."

The muggle woman smiled widely and offered her hand "oh, how lovely to meet other Hogwarts parents. I'm Jane."

"Narcissa Malfoy. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Jane's smile grew even bigger. She looked genuinely excited.

"Malfoy? Oh goodness, I think I met your son a few weeks ago. Draco, am I right."

Narcissa offered a nod and a tight smile, not knowing what would come next. Jane just looked delighted.

"Such a handsome boy. And his manners are impeccable. My daughter told me that he is the one that is always competing with her for top of the class. Handsome, polite and accomplished, you must be so very proud."

Narcissa held a gasp. Other pureblood mothers only praised Draco for his name and how much he looked like Lucius. This muggle woman talked to him for five minutes and saw everything that Narcissa saw in him. She said her thanks and her goodbyes and left through the floo before surrendering to the sobs that choked her.

After she calmed down she put her self together again and walked into the manor library, where Lucius was reading.

"Cissy, my love, where were you? The elves couldn't tell me of your whereabouts.

"I went to see Sirius. I thought it was better if I went unannounced and alone so he would not be on guard. I wanted to convey to him our desire for Draco to mingle with future influential muggleborns. I knew he would like that, maybe help him around."

Lucius had not considered that part. His rivalry with Sirius and his friend James Potter had been a cold war for so long he didn't think there was any chance they could be allies. But his wife had a different entrance point: it was her family, so Narcissa asking for favors for her Black son didn't necessarily look like Lucius was involved. It was brilliant.

"And what did good Sirius said?"

"He was happy to oblige. After all, Draco is family. He and Andromeda are the only Blacks left besides me, so I think our son should not let go of those favorable family connections. Especially considering that Sirius has no heir." that last piece just occurred to her. She knew her choice of words would make Lucius think it was a political move, but this could be really healthy for both Sirius and Draco.

"Excellent," said her husband. Did you get any other interesting pieces of information?"

"In fact I did. You remember the little muggleborn witch Draco has targeted as a useful ally? Apparently, her birthday is coming, Sirius is fond of her and was planning to get her a present. Maybe Draco should do the same."

"Of course. Shall we search the vaults for a proper piece of jewelry? Maybe a brooch? Something impressive."

Narcissa thought for a minute. Jean Granger had emphasized both Draco and her daughter's intellectual competitivity. This was not a simpering girl. And Narcissa didn't want to make a move that would make things confusing. She didn't know what Draco's intentions were.

"Maybe something from our private book collection would be more impressive to her. Something she certainly cannot obtain anywhere else. After all, Draco chose her as an ally for her intellectual power."

"Alright then. You choose what you think would be adequate, my dear," he said kissing her hand.

The next week Draco received an owl with a package in the morning mail. The note read

_My son_

_I have heard that your little muggleborn friend's birthday is today. Your mother and I think it would be advantageous for you to present her with a rare gift. I'm sure you will approve._

_Lucius. _

Draco opened the package. It was a rare manuscript, dragon leather-bound, containing the writings of Paracelsus on the creation of Homunculi. Draco felt a knot in his throat. He didn't know what was better, the fact that Lucius was being played like a violin, that he was about to present Granger with a priceless gift or that the unique book had founded the most deserving of owners. He looked at the Gryffindor table, where she was being congratulated and hugged by all her housemates, so he decided to wait.

The whole day she seemed to be surrounded by well-wishers, so he kept his distance and stayed out of reach. A couple of times she caught his eye in class and waved, but he simply nodded. Was that disappointment in her face? Was she deflated thinking he didn't know it was her birthday? He knew of course, even before the owl with the present had arrived. He just didn't want to be one more face in the crowd. Besides, Granger was predictable. Even on her birthday, she would not skip her nightly time at the library, and her friends would likely bail on her there.

He was right. He found her in the very back, alone. He approached quietly, slipped into the seat next to her and placed the manuscript in front.

"Happy birthday, Granger," he whispered in her ear, taking advantage of the fact that they were in the library to get very close.

She looked up, eyes huge.

"What is this?"

"Your birthday present. Take a look."

She opened the title page and gasped, hand to her mouth.

"Draco I can't. This book is priceless. You cannot give this to a seventeen-year-old."

He smiled.

"You are of age today. Shouldn't you get something really special to celebrate?"

"But this book...not even this library has it. It's too much. Where did you get it?"

"It was on the manor library, untouched for centuries. Books are meant to be read, not kept in store for the rich to boast, don't you think? And a manuscript like this deserves an owner that would fully appreciate it."

Next thing he knew Hermione Granger was hanging from his neck, kissing him full on the mouth. After a second he got a grip of his wits and pulled her to sit on his lap so they could kiss more thoroughly. Things were starting to get heated when a voice screeched

"Detention! Two weeks starting tomorrow night! Go to your dorms, now!"

Madam Pierce's voice made them jump and flop backward on the floor. They collected themselves quickly, Hermione pressing the manuscript to her chest while Draco grabbed both their schoolbags in one hand and her free hand on the other and they ran towards Gryffindor tower, laughing. When they got to the portrait of the fat lady he pulled her in for another kiss until they heard

"Oi! It's curfew! Inside, now!" yelled the pompous Headboy.

Draco bit a cuss and gave her a last peck on the lips before running towards the dungeons. Hermione entered the common room and slipped straight to her dormitory. Once she got there Lavender Brown saw the package in her hand

"Ooohh! What did you get for your birthday?"

"Detention," answered Hermione smiling and proceeded to close and silence her curtains, leaving the other girl looking confused. She didn't want Lav Lav to see her do the little giddy dance she performed on top of her bed. Best. Birthday. Ever.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry was walking the streets of Hogsmeade on his own for the first time ever. He had no idea how this had happened. He had slept in, true, but it was unusual for Ron to simply run off the room, or for Hermione to not give him a second thought. He was about to start brooding when a familiar voice called

"Knut for your thoughts, kid"

"Dad!" Harry ran and hugged the wizard that looked like a mirror image of himself.

"Whoa! I wasn't expecting such a warm greeting, crashing on your weekend with your friends." then he looked around "where are your friends by the way."

"Who knows", he responded sourly.

His father gave him a soft look and ruffled his already messy hair.

"Oh, kiddo, I think I know what your affliction is. Is called singleitis." it happens when your friends get paired up and you are walking around alone. It's very common in sixth-year students who are used to be the center of attention and suddenly poof! they're invisible."

Harry scowled a bit but he knew his dad was right. "Buy me rum raisins ice cream? To drown my pain?"

His dad chuckled and threw an arm around him. They walked into the ice cream parlor and James offered

"Grab us a table, I'll get us some double rum raisins for the paaaaiiin…" he said, grabbing his chest theatrically. Harry stuck his tongue out.

James walked inside the establishment and saw a very pretty girl about Harry's age, maybe a little bit younger. She was staring at the ice cream flavors, eyes unfocused. The witch behind the counter cleared her throat

"Sweetheart, if you need a minute I'll take care of the gentleman while you think?"

The girl blushed and moved aside, eyes down. James placed his order and while it was prepared he looked at the girl who seemed to be turning around to leave.

"You know, a shot of rum raisin would probably help with the pain."

"Excuse me?" the girl turned to face him, confused, but since the ice cream witch laughed at the joke she ventured a shy smile.

"If life's too hard, make it a double. Just make sure not to fly your broom home. Take a carriage."

The girl laughed, then the counter lady floated the two ice creams and James offered "come on girl, grab one, it will make you feel better."

When she looked at him with a hint of weariness he lifted the other ice cream

"This one is for my son. His friends ditched him today. Probably found last-minute dates. How about you keep him some company so I can go back to work? You may know him, his name is Harry, Harry Potter."

The girl's eyes opened wide

"Harry Potter? The Triwizard champion?"

"Yes, that's him. His mother and I tried to persuade him to not compete, the Goblet of Fire had obviously been tinkered with when his name got thrown in it. But getting my son to stop doing something crazy is like...well, like trying to stop me from doing something stupid at his age. Anyways if that didn't scare you how about you come with me and I'll introduce you."

The girl blushed deep red "I don't think the Triwizard champion would talk to me."

"Well, he may go mute for a second. Very pretty girls do make him nervous, I've seen it."

The girl laughed and when James gestured towards the patio seating she politely followed, even though she was very nervous. Harry Potter was very handsome, she liked that he was not all stiff like the boys in Slytherin could be. And he was so, so nice to everyone.

"Harry I have to go back home, I brought some work that needs to be sorted through. But I made a new friend, maybe you can keep her company? This is...oh Merlin, I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't catch your name."

Harry had stood up fast and clumsily so he blurted

"Tori, right? Your name is Tori?"

The girl smiled widely. Harry Potter, the Triwizard champion, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, knew her name.

"Yes," she answered, then offered her hand to James "Astoria Greengrass. Is very nice to meet you, Mr. Potter."

James smiled, satisfied, then pulled a chair for the girl, hugged his son goodbye and disapparated.

"Your dad is very nice. He saw I was alone so he offered to buy me a rum raisins ice cream for the pain."

"Oi! He stole that joke from me!"

She laughed. Her laughter was sweet, like treacle tart and whipped cream. Whoa! Where did that come from?

* * *

James apparated home to his wife waiting in the kitchen, arm-crossed, eyebrow lifted.

"James Potter, did you just crashed your son's Hogsmeade day? What are you doing? Do you think I didn't hear that conversation you two had before he boarded the train? He is perfectly capable to get himself a girlfriend, he doesn't need you embarrassing him."

"Well, I'll let you know that I found your son roaming the streets alone. His friends ditch him and he had no idea where they were, which is code for they were in some alleyway sucking someone's face off. I actually saved the day."

Lily still looked incredulous so James gave her his best cocky smiled and cornered her against the kitchen counter, one arm to her waist, the other hand moving her hair back to expose her neck "by the time I left he was on a date with a very pretty girl."

She leaned her head back and let him kiss her neckline "Prongs, you are incorrigible."

"Yes, my love. And I appreciate that you love me anyway," hand now following the curves of her body.

* * *

Harry was having an amazing time. He had seen Astoria around, she was very close to her sister Daphne, who shared a lot of classes with him. The younger sister would come by the classroom doors sometimes and waved happily to her sister if she had a package or letter for her. At least one time Harry had waved back thinking that she was looking at him only to realize that Daphne was sitting behind him.

"So, you and Daphne are very close?" He asked as they walked around town. She had automatically laced her arm on his and he was thrilled. She was just so natural, so relaxed. It was hard to believe she was in Slytherin.

"Yes," Tori answered. "We are only 9 months apart. If I had been born in August instead of September I would have been in your year. But I was born a week late. My mom likes to say that I always take my time."

Harry chuckled. "That's too bad. We could have been talking sooner." _Atta boy, Harry,_ he thought to himself. Maybe surfing his father's wave suited him.

Tori went a bit pink on the cheeks but nodded, feeling elated. Earlier that day her roommates had ditched her to go on a double date with Marcus Flint and Adrian Pucey just because they were sixth-years. They had made her feel unwanted and left behind, even though their dates were not exactly prince charming material and Tori knew she was objectively prettier than the other girls. But that was common behavior among the Slytherin girls of her year, to try and one-up each other. And a nice, sweet girl like Astoria Greengrass was a favorite target of insecure girls. She had brushed it off but after the long walk to Hogsmeade alone, she looked for her sister and couldn't find her. She went into the parlor just to kill some time before heading back and didn't even feel like ice cream until Mr. Potter sparked a conversation. After that, her day made a 180-degree turn, and even though she was not a resentful person it felt great to wave to her roommates, who were looking bored standing outside of the Quidditch supply store, waiting for their dates to finish drooling over bats and quaffles. Their faces were priceless when she walked by on the arm of Harry freaking Potter.

Harry and Tori made it back just on time before curfew and he walked her to the dungeons and when they said goodnight she kissed him on the cheek and run inside. He walked back to Gryffindor tower in a daze. When he walked into the common room Ron and Hermione stood up from a sofa, looking guiltily at him.

"Harry. We didn't see you all day. Are you alright?" Hermione asked, beating herself in her head for not giving her friend a second thought. But Harry had a dreamy, almost silly look on his face.

"I'm alright," he smiled and went straight up to his room. Ron shrugged and followed him.

"So, had a nice day, mate?" the redhead asked

"Nice enough," he downplayed. "Where were you?"

"Around," he blushed.

"Hermione?"

"Dunno?" Ron realized he had sat with Hermione for almost an hour and not asked where she had been, and she hadn't asked either. Maybe they all had their own situations to sort out.

The next morning the three friends walked to breakfast. When they took the last staircase down they saw Malfoy standing at the foot of the stairs, and he had straightened up when the group approached. Ron and Harry got on guard, even though this year Malfoy had not spared them more than an occasional gaze and he even nodded to them from time to time. Then from behind they felt Hermione scoop through and skip down the stairs leaving them behind.

"Draco! Good morning!" she singsong in a tone of voice they had never heard on her. She had gone on her toes to kiss the blonde's cheek and he had turned his face to steal a kiss on her mouth, making her laugh. The other two watched the scene, heads tilted in confusion until another girly laugh called Ron's attention and he ran down to stand by the staircase that came up from the dungeons. A group of Slytherin girls was coming and Harry made his way there too.

"Hi!" Ron blurted with a huge grin.

"Hey, handsome" answered Pansy, approaching the redhead who immediately leaned in to peck her lips. Then she noticed Potter standing next to them so she added "morning, Potter?" with a questioning look.

"Morning, Parkinson, Daphne," who nodded to him, also looking confused, then he turned toward the pretty brunette that walked behind them. "Hi, Tori."

"Hi Harry," the girl answered with a brilliant smile. The other three exchanged looks of surprise but smirked while Harry offered his arm to his new sweetheart and guided her to walk in front with him.

"Alright then, I better get me a Gryffindor of my own before I'm the only one left standing," quipped Daphne. She looked at her little sister go arm and arm with Harry and smiled. She always thought she would feel protective when the time came but Potter was just so nice. Good for them. Maybe now she would have the courage to ask Patil on a date since apparently red was the new black.


	5. Chapter 5

"I don't know about this, Lily," said Petunia looking around the small street in a strange part of London.

"Oh, Toony, it will be alright, I promise. And we need to get some help before you and Dudley keep having accidents."

Petunia Dursley sigh. All her life she had avoided thinking about the fact that her sister was a witch, married to a wizard and had a wizard son. As a child, she had been jealous of the fact that her sister had magic in her and since she was required to swear to uphold the Statute of Secrecy, she had always treated the magical world as a shameful secret to bear. When her son was born she thought for a second that he might have magic in him, but then she convinced herself that whatever she saw was a coincidence and that was confirmed when the boy did not receive a Hogwarts letter.

Lily suddenly entered an establishment that Petunia had not noticed, it seemed to appear out of nowhere. The dingy place made her shiver but she walked behind her sister, holding her purse very tightly. Trays of drinks and food floated themselves. Petunia felt like she had to constantly dodge them.

"The trays will avoid you, don't worry, Toony."

Petunia did her best to stay composed but it was really difficult. Finally, Lily greeted two older people.

"Poppy, Albus, thank you so much for seeing us."

"Lily, my dear, is always a pleasure," answered Dumbledore. "Petunia, it's been a long time. I am sorry for your loss."

Petunia nodded, blinking back tears. Vernon had died of a heart attack a year ago and she was still coping with it. Actually, she was not coping well, that was the reason why she was here. Strange things were happening around her and Dudley. She had a feeling that Lily would understand so she called her sister for the first time in years and Lily had a vague idea of what could be going on.

"Toony, you know Albus of course. And Poppy is the School matron. She has a lot of experience with accidental magic."

"M-m-magic? Is that what is happening to me?"

Dumbledore smiled and explained

"Your sister Lily is what is called a muggleborn witch. That means that was no apparent magic in the family until hers was manifested. However, if she is a witch that means magic does run in your family. Muggleborns are descendants of Squibs, meaning people of magical families who did not manifest magic or did not manifest enough magic to be conjured through a wand. If such a person decides to marry into a muggle line then the magic tends to go dormant for a while. Now, you, Petunia, have shielded yourself and your son strongly from the idea of the magical world, and your marriage was the entity where you concentrated most of that denial. As long as Vernon was by your side, your interactions with the magic in your blood family were hampered. But when you lost him you also lost your main defense mechanism, and that, added to the painful experience of widowhood has made the small amount of magic that does run through you act up. What you are experiencing is a very, very mild version of an Obscural. If a witch or wizard denies their magic, the magic takes on a life of its own and becomes an abusive, consuming entity. Such an extreme thing would not happen to you or to your son, as your level of magic is quite low. But after the stressful circumstances that you faced, the magic is demanding an outlet. Otherwise, you will continue having bursts of accidental magic and they would most likely be negative: breaking fragile objects, lighting small things on fire."

Petunia looked horrified

"But what am I supposed to do? And what about my son?"

Madam Pomfrey interfered

"There are a couple of branches of magic that are accessible to people with low levels of magic. Lily told me that you are an excellent cook. You can learn to brew potions. Not very complicated ones, just enough to channel your core into them. That would help to keep the magic at bay."

Petunia felt dizzy. And she didn't know that the worst was yet to come. She closed her eyes but a moment later she opened them, startled by a very familiar voice. A ghost from the past.

"Headmaster. Poppy. This is an unusual summons. Lily, this is an unexpected pleasure," the man drawled.

"Severus. Hello. Thank you for joining us. You remember my sister, Petunia?"

_No, no, no, no, this is not happening. This cannot be happening._

"Indeed. Hello, Petunia. It's been many years," answered Snape sourly, taking a seat.

Petunia was now completely pale and only managed to nod slightly.

"Petunia, you may not be aware, but Severus is a potions master," added Dumbledore. "He can measure your ability to brew and guide you through the process."

They explained the woman's conundrum to Snape, who kept a blank face. He would have loved nothing more than to deny Petunia Evans any favors, but he would never have the heart to hurt Lily. So he agreed, hiding his reluctance. He conjured some parchment and gave the sisters a list of supplies, then agreed to visit Petunia at her house next Saturday morning, said his farewell and disapparated.

"Well, that is settled," said Dumbledore. "As for your son, we know he is not fond of cooking, am I right?"

"Heavens no," said Petunia. "My Diddikins tried to make me breakfast and almost burned the kitchen, poor thing."

Dumbledore nodded.

"I think for him we could try care of magical creatures. Harmless ones, of course: owls, kneazels, pygmy puffs and such. Lily, perhaps you can arrange for Harry and maybe a friend or two to come to Diagon alley instead of Hogsmeade next weekend, and you could bring young Dudley to meet them? They could go to the Magical Menagerie, Eeylops Owl Emporium, and even Weasleys Wizards' Weezhes, in fact, getting a couple of magical joke items may help his magic find some relief."

Lily accepted enthusiastically and the two elder wizards said their goodbyes.

Petunia was on a haze when Lily dragged from store to store looking for ingredients. Then made her wait outside what seemed to be a pet store. Lily walked out carrying a cage with a small white owl in it.

"What is that?" asked Petunia, horrified.

"It's an owl. So you can communicate easily with Severus. He is at Hogwarts, phones do not work there. You will have to send him messages. I'll show you how.

"I will not take that dirty creature in my house. What would the neighbors say?"

"Come on, Toony, look at her. She's gorgeous. Besides, the cage is charmed to scourgify itself. That means it cleans itself. The neighbors would be jealous you have a gorgeous exotic pet."

Petunia straightened up a bit. Making the neighbors jealous was a great perk.

What was the word again? For the self-cleaning cage?

"Scourgify. The cage would clean itself daily but if you feel it needs a dusting you say scourgify."

"Scourgify. Scourgify. Scourgify," Petunia repeated. If she was gonna have an animal in the house it better stay squicky clean.

* * *

Next Saturday at the appointed hour there was a knock on the back door. Petunia had agreed to Severus apparating in a secluded corner of her back yard, so he could simply floo out of Hogwarts and then apparate to her house. She thought it would be better if the neighbors wouldn't see a man dressed as a giant bat walk through her front door.

To her utter surprise, Snape was dressed in an impeccable dark muggle suit with a black shirt and a royal blue tie. He didn't miss her bewildered face.

"Albus suggested that I wore muggle clothes in case you have visitors while I'm here. My godson, who claims to have impeccable taste, helped me select a proper attire. Is it acceptable to you? he asked with a hint of cynicism but Petunia didn't hear his tone. She was too distracted by his appearance.

"It's… very nice. You look very nice, Severus." She couldn't believe those words were coming out of her mouth, but there was more going on than a simple change of clothes. It was almost like the man had been in one of those makeover shows on the telly.

What Severus kept to himself was the part where he had told Draco he would be dealing with a pretentious muggle woman. The young Malfoy had not only helped him select an outfit, but he had also casually commented that muggles would lower their guard and be easily influenced by people using hair products and colognes. Draco made up some very convincing story about weak muggle senses being numbed by these simple tricks. It was not a complete lie. He had experienced his share of ego lifting moments every time he ventured into muggle London wearing his own fitted suits and perfect hair. Muggle girls where much more easily impressed than witches.

"Shall we?" Said Severus when the woman didn't move for a minute

"Yes, of course. This way."

As she had been told, she had a setup in her kitchen with a basic cauldron and a few simple ingredients. Severus took a small object from his pocket and enlarged it with an _engorgio_. It was a folded cloth that he unwrapped to reveal five or six wooden sticks.

"You do not have a wand. These sticks can be used for stirring potions instead. But just as with a wand, some would work better for you than others. Now choose, he said, waving a hand in a gesture of presenting the sticks.

Petunia thought he was being theatrical and simply reached for the first one. It felt like it burned her fingers

"What is this? What are you playing at, Snape?" she shrieked, holding her hand

Severus didn't flinch. He simply took her hand in his and murmured an incantation. Petunia's fingers not only felt immediately better, but she was also taken aback by the softness of his hands. She had always thought of Severus Snape as a roughneck since as a child he had always worn poorly fitted clothes that were obviously hand-me-downs. The man in the fitted suit with silky black hair who smelled like expensive cologne was lightyears away from that boy, and even from the greasy man dressed as a bat that gave her a list of supplies last week. She was brought back to the moment by the man's drawl.

"I said choose, not pick up one. Hover your hand over them and let the right one call to you."

She looked weary but did as told. One of the sticks in the middle felt...right. She picked it up and felt that this was an object she would like to keep.

"Mandrake root. Interesting choice. Stronger than I thought."

She didn't know what he meant but the stick felt comfortable in her hand.

He gave her the instructions to brew a simple beginner's potion

"The key is in the correct stirring for each potion. This one requires nine times counterclockwise, slowly. Just like this," he said, guiding her hand. She felt her breath hitch. Where was this coming from? After another half hour, Snape said

"That's enough for today. I will see you next Saturday, same time. Use these vials to bottle the potion. Try it on your own a couple of times. And here," he pulled a piece of parchment with a new list of ingredients, "get these for next week. I think you will be ready for something more complex."

Petunia walked him to the back door, then watched him disapparate. What a strange day. Yet, she felt calm for the first time in over a year.

* * *

A few days later Petunia picked up the dishes after breakfast when Dudley had left for school. With her hands full of plates she walked by the owl's cage and said

"Scourgify!"

The self-cleaning cage was her new favorite household object, it never failed to make her smile.

She deposited the pile of dirty plates on the sink and smiled to herself, thinking of something silly: she grabbed her potion stirring stick and pointed it to the dishes.

"I wish you would scourgify!" she said waiving the stirring stick. She almost fainted when the dishes cleaned themselves.

Petunia kept looking at the pile of clean dishes in panic and picked the phone to make a call

"Lily? Can you come here right away?"

Two seconds later Lily apparated on the kitchen, making Petunia scream.

"Toony what's wrong?"

"I, I, I did...something I said something"

"Toony you are making no sense"

Petunia looked around and saw the pans on the stove that she had not washed. She pointed the stirring stick and said: "I wish you would scourgify!" The pots cleaned themselves and Lily gave an excited squeal

"Toony you did it! You cast a spell!"

"W-w-what?"

Lily grabbed a dirty spoon and said

"Say just scourgify and wave the stick"

"Scourgify!" The spoon shined clean.

Lily laughed, excited, then grabbed a cup.

"Say aquamenti"

"Aquamenti!"

Nothing happened. Lily shrugged. "Well, the stick is not a wand. It probably worked because cleaning is such an important task for you that you can channel the magic you have into doing it."

Petunia took a minute to calm down and then smiled. Lily had not seen her smile like this since they were kids. She skipped and hopped around the house pointing at objects and saying "scourgify, scourgify" over and over again. Suddenly she felt exhausted and almost collapsed on the couch

"Toony! Be careful! Magic is a vital force, you can exhaust it, just like a muscle. Take it easy. Your reserve of magic is limited."

Petunia allowed her sister to set her on the couch propped with pillows, then said

"Lily, I have magic"

Lily's eyes fill with tears

"Yes, Toony. You do have magic."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hi, aunt Lily!" said the bulky boy that had been waiting anxiously by the door, ready on time for once in his life.

"Hi, Dudley. You look excited,"

The boy nodded vigorously. His mom came to the door, looking apprehensive. Lily had only seen Dudley once before, but Petunia had also never seen him so excited.

"Don't worry, Toony. We will have fun."

Petunia gave a tight smile, then grabbed her boy and pulled him down for a tight hug, like she was sending him out to war.

"S'alright, mum. I'll be back in the evening."

"Ready Dudley? This is going to make you a bit dizzy, but it will pass," said Lily offering her hand and apparating them away. Petunia gasped. She still didn't get used to all this.

They popped out at an apparition point behind the leaky cauldron. Dudley was wobbly but he didn't throw up. Atta boy. Lily gave him a minute and when he smiled again she touched the bricks on the wall in the right order and the wall opened a passage. Dudley gaped and didn't know where to look first. Lily held his arm and made sure he didn't bump into people, as he kept looking all around. She guided him to Fortescues' Ice Cream Parlor and sat him in one of the tables outside, then she went inside and brought him an ice cream sundae while they waited. Dudley quickly downed the ice cream and seemed to be ready for whatever more the day had to offer.

"Any minute now," his aunt smiled.

"Mom!"

"Harry, sweetheart," she said standing to embrace him tightly. Harry turned to the bulky boy and offered his hand.

"Hello, Dudley, good to see you again."

"Hello," the boy answered but his gaze kept jumping behind Harry. Two very pretty girls had come with him.

"Mom, these are Tori and Luna. they offered to help me show Dudley around."

"That is very sweet of you two," said Lily with a huge smile. "I'm Lily Potter and this is my nephew Dudley."

Dudley could only wave, mesmerized. He had never seen two girls so pretty in his life. He found the brunette a bit intimidating, so perfect she was. But the blonde one had a soft, dreamy look, it was like she was made of cotton candy and stardust. He lost track of the conversation happening beside him.

"So you are Tori? As in rum raisins Tori?" asked Lily.

"Mom!" Harry chided, mortified, but Tori chuckled.

"That's me unless Harry goes around buying ice creams to all the girls in school."

"I don't," Harry said in a rush, making his mother and Tori laugh at him.

Meanwhile, Luna had pulled the chair next to Dudley.

"Hello. I'm Luna. Luna Lovegood. Harry said that you want to meet some magical creatures. I want to be a magizoologist. I love magical creatures. I can show you some interesting ones that are easy to handle, you know, since you are a muggle."

Dudley just nodded dumbly and his mouth moved on its own.

"You're pretty."

Luna smiled and turned to Harry.

"Your cousin is nice, Harry. I think I want to show him some pigmy puffs first," she said, standing up and not waiting for a response she said to Lily "it was nice to meet you, Mrs. Potter," then she grabbed Dudley's hand and dragged him out of the Parlor and headed towards Weasley's Wizards Wheezes.

"Well that was a lot easier than I thought," quipped Lily.

"Yup, that's Luna for you," said Tori. "She does know a lot about magical creatures so she is definitely a great guide."

"Well, how about you two keep an eye on them from afar and in the meantime enjoy your day? Harry sweetheart if anything at all comes up send me a Patronus, I'll be back immediately," she said while discreetly put a small pouch of galleons on Harry's pocket. She had a really good feeling about this girl, so she wanted them to have a great time.

"Thanks, mom. I'll keep you posted."

Lily said her goodbyes and walked towards the apparition point, then turned around to take one more look. Tori had a smile that could light up the sky and it was obviously all for her son. And Harry looked at her like she was made of pure gold. She blew a kiss their way as a blessing and apparated home.

* * *

"This is a pygmy puff. They are a type of domestic Puffskeins. They are bred to be pink, but the wild Puffskeins are creamy color," said Luna Lovegood while depositing the soft little creature in Dudley's cupped hands. Duddley felt a warm current run from his hands through all his body, and he felt happy. His father's death had been a crushing experience for him, and Petunia had tried sending him to therapy, and that had helped, but he kept insisting that there was something inside of him that felt like it was going to explode. He insisted it was not anger or sadness, it was like a force inside that he could not control. When the psychiatrist had suggested trying some antipsychotic medication Petunia asked for a few days to think about it and the doctor agreed, as Dudley had never made any attempts to hurt himself. That's when it occurred to her to call Lily and see if they could have a second opinion of sorts.

And today, standing in the middle of Weasley's Wizards Wheezes, holding a pygmy puff in his hands, Dudley felt the restless force inside of him connect to the little creature and in turn, the fluffy thing projected a sense of wellbeing towards him. He looked at Luna with tears in his eyes. The young witch smiled and patted his arm softly.

"Feels great, doesn't it? To connect with them? You know, there was a very famous magizoologist called Newt Scamander, and his best friend and assistant was a Muggle man called Jacob Kowalski. He learned a lot about handling magical creatures and he even married a witch."

Dudley's eyes open wide

"So I could marry a witch too?"

Luna chuckled sweetly "of course silly if you fall in love with one and she with you. Now let's go find some Kneazels at the Magical Menagerie."

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry and Tori had completed a couple of laps around Diagon Alley, shared an ice cream and he was starting to hope they were back at Hogwarts, where he could maybe find a secluded place by the lake or an alcove for some kissing and maybe…

_Get your head off the gutter, Harry, you have a great girl, don't screw it up by trying to be too forward. You don't know if she even would want any of that. _

"Harry?"

"Hum?" he was pulled out of his musings by Tori's voice

"I said I'm feeling a bit tired. I wish we can find a more private place to seat. I think Luna will want to keep your cousin busy until is close to curfew for us."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. How about we go to the Leakey cauldron? I've been there in private sitting rooms with my father and the minister. Maybe they rent them?" he said, patting the pouch of galleons his mother had slipped in his pocket.

"That would be great! I hope they do, even if we are just students."

They walked in and Tom the innkeeper gave Harry a big welcome, so he felt courageous and asked about the parlors.

"Of course, of course, is your father coming?"

"My mother should come in a bit," Harry said, stretching the truth.

Go ahead, upstairs, second door on the right. No one should bother you there. Butterbeers?"

"That would be great. And maybe some pasties?"

"They'll be waiting for you up there!" said Tom with his toothless smile.

The two teenagers found the parlor and closed the door. Harry was gonna ask if Tori was ok with it when she threw her arms around him and kissed him desperately. Pushing him back towards a sofa, so he fell on it and she straddled him.

"Too much?" she said pulling back a little

"Not enough," he answered, bringing her back down for another deep kiss.

After a few minutes, she said "Harry I'm not ready for...you know… the whole thing..."

He took a moment to look at her gorgeous face, the lidded eyes, the delicious swollen lips

"I would never pressure you to do anything. I have no experience at all. I want to share all these new things with you. I can't believe I was so lucky you agreed to talk to me when my father did his dad thing and dragged you to our table."

"Right. Because I had never noticed the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, Triwizard Champion, Basilisk slayer guy. You are a total wallflower, Harry Potter.

He laughed, blushing and they spent the rest of the afternoon kissing, sharing sweet bites and sipping leisurely on their butterbeers.

* * *

A cracking sound of apparition made Petunia jump in her room, then a voice came from downstairs

"Toony! We're back! I have to run, but I'll call you to arrange another outing for Dudley, bye!"

And with another crack, Lily was gone. Petunia ran downstairs and found her son standing in the middle of the living room, frozen.

"Diddikins! You are back!" she said, grabbing her giant baby in her arms and peppering kisses on his head as if he had been gone for months. Then she took a step back and gave him a one over and her face contorted in fear when she saw his dazed expression. "Diddikins? What's wrong? Are you ok?"

He looked at her with glazed eyes and a silly smile "I had the best day of my life." then he sat heavily on the couch. She noticed a basket in his hands

"What do you have there, darling?"

His smile widened and he opened the top of the basket. Inside were two creatures that seemed to be made of cotton candy. Even Petunia couldn't deny that they were absolutely adorable.

"They are pigmy puffs. I'm gonna call the girl Luna and the boy Love, that way it will be like having her around."

"Like having who around, Diddikins?" Petunia asked with a confused face.

Dudley sigh

"Luna. Luna Lovegood. She is the most beautiful girl in the world."

* * *

Lily Potter picked up the phone

"Hello?"

"Lily! Lily, it's me! She drugged him! That girl drugged my Diddikins! Or put a spell on him or something!"

"What are you talking about, Toony?"

"Dudley. He came home looking stunned and brought two pink balls of fluff and he said that he was gonna call them Luna and Love because it will be like having her around! A little witch called Luna Lovegood put a spell on my son!"

Lily laughed loudly for about a minute, making Petunia tap her fingers on the other side of the line

"I'm sorry, Toony, but trust me, is not a spell. Or a potion. Love potions are restricted for underages witches and wizards and besides, I brought him home myself. He was not bewitched, he is just mesmerized. Luna is a friend of Harry's and she is the nicest girl you can imagine, so she took Dudley under her wing and showed him around all day. And as he probably mentioned, she is very, very pretty. But I gotta tell you what makes that girl stunning is her sweetness. You should see how well she treated your son."

Petunia took a seat, the phone still on her ear. In her head, Dudley was an infant. She had strongly denied herself how much he had grown, but he was a sixteen-year-old boy and there was no need for magic for him to be infatuated with a girl.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Hello all! I would like to take a moment here to remind you that the adult characters in the HP series as described by JKR are usually much, much younger than the actors that portrayed them in the movies. So remember that the two characters in the following scene are probably in their mid-thirties. Also, remember that the Evans sisters do look somewhat alike, so Petunia is a blonde woman that probably looks quite different when she doesn't scowl. Enjoy :)

* * *

The following Saturday Petunia was feeling uneasy before her second potions lesson. Last week during the brewing she had felt a lot of tension growing inside of her as if it was pulling at the tight bun on her hair. She had waited until Snape left and then loosen it up, and the sense of relief had been astonishing, calmness filling her body like a warm bath. So this time around she did her bun using only one clip, so it wouldn't be that tight. To her, that was challenging in itself, as she always wanted to feel fully in control and that was reflected in every inch of her appearance. When she heard the pop of apparition she moved too fast to open the back door and almost burst onto the wizard that had just arrived.

"Good afternoon, Petunia," drawled the dark-haired man, looking down at her, so close she stood. This time he was wearing a dark shirt and suit with a green tie and a delicate Snake tie pin. Petunia found herself almost touching it before she hastily pulled back her hand.

"Good afternoon, Severus, please come in," she said turning quickly to hide the flush she could feel on her face.

He kept his usual composure and walked in at an even pace, taking in the fact that Petunia had obviously designated her pristine kitchen island as a potion brewing area. He had not seen such carefully arranged display save his own personal brewing space and he pursed his lips to avoid the smiled that tugged at them.

Snape instructed Petunia on the steps for the day's potion but mostly let her do all the work, watching her like a hawk, so he noticed how she kept jerking her neck slightly to one side or the other, and the potion didn't seem to respond well to that.

"Why do you keep bending your neck? It's affecting the potion," he said tersely

She stopped what she was doing and looked at her hands, opening and closing her fists, taking uneasy breaths

"I...I feel weird," is all she could say, rolling her neck in obvious discomfort.

Snape put his hands on her shoulders to stop her jerky movements and carefully undid the bun on her hair. When it fell free she felt relief run down her shoulders to her spine and she closed her eyes. While she soaked in the sensation it took her a minute to realize that, one, he was talking, and two, his hands were still on her hair.

"This is not cooking, Petunia, it's potion brewing. It's a delicate, refined and magical art. You need to let your magic flow, even if it is limited," he said while carefully releasing strands of hair over her shoulders and back. "Trained witches and wizards usually don't have a problem allowing the flow because they learn to brew as children when their bodies are in constant motion and they act more freely. Yo need to learn to let go, so the magic can flow."

She had unconsciously let her head hang back a bit and he noticed the pleasant smell of her shampoo. He almost never allowed himself this kind of proximity to anyone and for some reason, it was not unpleasant. When Petunia restarted her work the potion seemed to take on a life of its own, slowly creating hypnotic patterns of blue and silver around the cauldron.

"It's magnificent," she said, mesmerized. Severus felt his heart pick up the pace. He had never seen such a reaction to this basic concoction, no one ever admired the beauty of it. Of course, this brew was usually thought to terrified eleven-year-olds, but still, brewing was the passion of his life, and to share a small part of it with someone that appreciated it was priceless.

When they were done and the brew was packed in little vials Petunia collected the used instruments, then waved her stirring stick and said "scourgify!"The cauldron and cups cleaned themselves. Severus lifted an eyebrow

"Impressive. Even most Squibs cannot do that."

She lowered her gaze but smiled, satisfied. He produced a miniature book from his pocket and enlarged it.

"Here. take a look at this book." It was a copy of _Fifty Basic Brews For Your Home Pantry._ "Do not try to brew any of these on your own until you have talked to me. Common ingredients should be safe enough on their own but you do not know how some of the magical ones would react. This week read the chapter in brewing the cure for boils. That is something an 11-year-old is capable of doing, so I expect by next Saturday you will have an idea of how the procedure goes, and I will just observe you do it," he said trying to be dismissive but it came out forced.

She was of course taken aback by the name of the brew, and her face contorted in disgust when she saw the list of ingredients: _snake fangs, horned slugs, flobberworm mucous_… she closed the book and looked away to contain the feeling of nausea that crept on her throat. Snape was impassive. He pulled a set of miniature vials and powder boxes from his pocket and enlarged them, then left them on the kitchen counter.

"Here. these are the magical ingredients for it. Other things like nettle and ginger root you can find on your own. Owl me if you have any questions," he said and gave a curt nod before walking towards the apparition point in the backyard. Petunia felt a strange sense of uneasiness at his sudden departure.

The following week Petunia put more effort than normal on her appearance but in a different way than usual. She got a haircut, as she would now let her hair down for brewing, and Dudley had commented that she looked quite young with the more relaxed appearance. She also decided she could give a try to brewing the cure for boils on her own. There were bo explosion warnings on the book and she had in a way Severus' permission to do it, though he probably didn't expect her to actually try. After reading the instructions five times carefully she got to work. The potion came up exactly as described in the book: blue, and it emitted pink smoke. She bottled in the little vials and waited excitedly for Saturday to come.

When Snape next came she had the brewing setup ready, and the little vials were primly lined in front of it. Severus gave her an eyebrow lift and opened a vial. It emitted pink smoke. He sniffed it, then took a drop on his finger and apply it on a small bump on his arm. The bump disappeared.

"You brew this? By yourself?"

Petunia nodded, feeling intimidated by his tone. He left the vial on the kitchen counter.

"This brew is complete. It is acceptable. You do not need me to have a lesson with you today. Read the formula for the next brew in the book and mind the warnings before you attempt anything on your own." He gave a curt nod and made to leave but she held his arm

"Severus. I was wondering if instead, you may have time for dinner"

He stared at her, blank-faced but after a minute of heavy silence, he gave another nod.

"Have a seat, please," she said pointing to the kitchen stools, it will be only a couple of minutes."

He watched her move flawlessly through the kitchen, it was obviously the place where she was more at ease. She had something prepared that only needed 10 minutes in the oven before being served. After putting the roast in to warm she asked

"Wine?"

"Please"

She had an excellent bottle of french wine and poured two generous glasses. Not knowing what courtesies would do in this awkward moment she simply raised her glass and he mimicked. She took a very large gulp, one breath and then another gulp. It was very much out of character for her, but she had things to say. Snape's usually impassive face showed a hint of something that resembled curiosity.

"I wanted to say thank you. For helping me. I don't know how to explain this, but I feel a great sense of relief from brewing. It gave me peace in a way I had never felt before. I thought it was going to help me to get over my period of mourning, but there is something else about it that has made me feel better than I had in years.

"You made peace with the magic in your family. The years of denial surely took a toll. Usually, muggles from families with dormant magic don't have a reason to deny it, as they are ignorant of its presence. Squibs are actively aware of the presence of magic around them. You, on the contrary, spent years actively hiding and denying it. That's why it developed into the shadow of an Obscural. But now the magic is being freed. The more you acknowledge it the better it will feel."

Petunia chocked on a sob but nodded in agreement and tried to continue talking

"I am sorry. About the past. It was just so hard to watch Lily drift away; I was jealous but I was also hurt. She was moving towards a world where I could not follow, and you were pulling her even further that way. The magic was an ethereal thing, I could not direct my anger to it. But you, you were a real presence. And that is why I focus all of my resentment and the pain of losing my sister onto you. Please forgive me, Severus. I know you are doing this for Lily, you have no reason to help me. And yet here you are, even if you do not want to. Thank you. Thank you very much," she said extending her hand to loosely touch his.

Snape felt a knot in his throat. The times he had been showed gratitude in his life were few and far between. He knew it was his own making, so for someone to risk trying to scrap his icy exterior was an overwhelming experience. He gave a small squeeze to the hand and said in a bit more than a whisper

"You're welcome."

Petunia cleared her throat and blinked her prickling eyes, then busied herself with the roast and setting up the table. It was not only a delicious dinner but for Severus Snape, the experience of someone serving him food was strange and weirdly intimate, used as he was to the invisible attention of the Hogwarts house-elves. He found himself explaining brewing to his heart content, and she had questions, lots of questions, probably coming from her experience as a great cook who paid a lot of attention to detail.

When dinner was over Severus helped her clean up using magic, and she smiled ad shook her head, thinking of how many years she spent denying that this wonder existed.

"Dinner was outstanding, Petunia," said the wizard and then he decided to do something he usually did out of obligation when visiting pureblood households: he took her hand and kissed it. Some sort of emotional dam broke inside of them and their rational minds were no longer in charge.

* * *

"Mom! I'm back! I told aunt Lily I would take the train back and ring her when I got home so she didn't have to stay in London with me."

Petunia jerked herself off the kitchen counter on which Severus Snape had been snogging her thoroughly. The wizard caught her before she fell on the floor and they both heard with relief the heavy steps of the boy going directly upstairs. He helped her up, whispered in her ear "I'll owl you," kissed her one more time and disapparated with a loud pop.

"Mom? You alright? What was that noise?"

"A car backfired on the street, Diddikins, nothing to worry about," she answered, straightening her clothes. She caught her reflection on a glass cabinet. Her hair was a mess and her lipstick was gone. And she had not felt so giddy in years.


End file.
